Toy building set

ABSTRACT

A toy building set comprising interconnectable bricks, each brick having a substantially square, flat contour with two opposite main faces, a first face having a substantially square hollow having four projections rising from its bottom, a second face having four seats aligned to the pins, in which the pins of another brick are insertable with a friction fit. Two first side faces have respective central projections extending therefrom, and two second side faces have two lateral projections extending therefrom, between which one central projection of another brick is insertable with friction fit.

The present invention relates to a toy building set of the type comprising a plurality of modular molded elements made of a synthetic material, so-called “bricks”, which can be linked together by friction fit to build tridimensional models representing fancy figures or real objects such as buildings, vehicles, items of furniture, as well as animals, plants, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The toy building sets of the above type are generally packed in cartons containing a predetermined number of bricks. The simplest bricks typically have a prismatic profile with a square or rectangular contour and, although they may differ from one another for size and shape, they have the common feature of being provided with projections on one base, which are shaped to fit into corresponding recesses formed on one opposite base. Alternatively, certain bricks may have only one base provided with projections or recesses.

As known, in relation to bricks having a relatively simple profile, the known toy building sets only allow the bricks to be linked together on top of each other or side by side. This deficiency considerably affects the versatility of the toy and the creative possibilities offered thereby.

The toy building sets have evolved over the years, with the production of a variety of assorted bricks having more and more complex shapes specifically intended for creating predetermined profiles. However, these bricks have a limited polyvalence and high manufacturing costs due to their complexity and to the wide range of different shapes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a toy building set based on a brick having a relatively simple profile and shaped in such a way as to have high polivalence and modularity, with possibility of multilateral connections, with the bricks linked together on top of each other or side by side, as well as of transversal or “T” connections.

It is another object of the invention to provide the brick with a profile which allows substantially solid (i.e., without hollow areas) flat surfaces to be formed simply by linking together a plurality of bricks side by side.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the above brick with a high degree of safety in relation to the use of the toy by children.

A further object of the invention is to provide the above toy building set with a case which can be used as integral part of the toy.

The above objects and other advantages, which will better appear below, are achieved by the toy building set having the features recited in claim 1, while the dependent claims state other advantageous features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be now described in more detail with reference to a preferred, non-exclusive embodiment shown by way of non limiting example in the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view from above of a brick belonging to a toy building set according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from below of the brick of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in cross section of the brick of FIG. 1 along line III-III;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section of the brick of FIG. 1 along line IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a case for the toy building set according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A toy building set according to the invention is based on interconnectable modular elements or bricks of the type shown in FIGS. 1-4. Said bricks 10 each have a substantially square, flat contour 10 with two interconnectable, opposite main faces. One first face 12 has a thin peripheral frame 13 surrounding a square hollow 14 defining a corresponding, square convex area 16 on the opposite face 18. Four hollow, square-profiled pins 20 rise from the bottom of hollow 14 and are arranged in square. The ends of the pins lie at the level of peripheral frame 13.

Convex area 16 has a salient, peripheral edge 21, which is insertable with a friction fit into hollow 14 of another brick, as well as four salient seats 22 which are aligned to pins 20 and have a complementary square profile, thereby allowing interconnection of bricks arranged on top of each other by inserting the pins of one brick into the seats of another brick.

The edge 24 of peripheral frame 13 is bent at right angles dowstream and is shaped to define interconnectable lateral profiles. In particular, two adjacent side faces 26, 28 of the brick are each provided with a wide central projection 30, 32, while the other two adjacent side faces 34, 36 are each provided with two spaced, lateral projections 38, 40, between which one of the central projections 30, 32 of another brick is insertable with a friction fit.

Preferably, the sizes of, and the distances between, the various interconnectable profiles are multiple of a modular length L, thereby providing a wide range of possible configurations. In particular, the width of each of the lateral projections 38, 40 is equal to L, and the distance between the external side end of the lateral projection and the nearest corner is also equal to L (FIG. 1). The width of each of the central projections 30, 32 is equal to 3 L, and the distance between the side ends of the central projection and the respective nearest corners is equal to 2 L (FIG. 1). The heigth of edge 24 is constant along the perimeter of the brick and is equal to L (FIG. 3). The length of the side of square hollow 14 is equal to 5 L (FIG. 4), and the length of the side of pins 20 is equal to L (FIG. 3). The distance between the mutually facing side faces of pins 20 is equal to L, and the distance between the side faces facing outwardly of pins 20 and the peripheral surface of square hollow 14 is also equal to L (FIG. 4).

The bricks are preferably made of a low density, synthetic material.

In use, two bricks 10 may be linked together both laterally, with a central projection 30, 32 of one brick inserted between two side-by-side lateral projections 38, 40 of another brick, and on top of each other, with pins 20 of one brick inserted in seats 22 of another brick. Furthermore, two bricks may be linked together at right angles in a T configuration, with either a central projection 30, 32 or two side-by-side, lateral projections 38, 40 of one brick inserted in the gaps defined by projections 20 in square hollow 14 on first face 12.

FIG. 5 shows a case that is specifically shaped to house a plurality of bricks of the above type and which can be used as an integral part of the toy building set.

The case comprises a flat shell 50 having a rectangular profile, on which an identical upturned shell 50′ acting as a cover is connectable. In particular, shell 50 has four plugs 56 b and four holes 58 a, 58 b at its respective four corners, which are arranged to cooperate with a friction fit with the plugs and the holes of another shell rotated of 180°. To this purpose, two plugs 56 a at the opposite ends of one of the short sides of the shell are arranged nearer to the edge than the holes 58 a in the same area, while the two plugs 56 b at the opposite ends of the other short side of the shell are arranged farther from the edge then the holes 58 b in the same area.

Main base 60 of shell 50 has three cross-shaped grooves 62 aligned along the longitudinal axis of the shell, as well as eight rectilinear grooves 64 a, 64 b along the periphery of the shell, with three rectilinear grooves 64 a aligned along each of the long sides, and one rectilinear groove 64 b aligned along each of the short sides.

The grooves on the shell also are sized on the basis of the modular length L, thereby allowing a wide range of possible configurations. In particular, the width of the cross-shaped grooves and of the rectilinear grooves is equal to L. The length of each of the two sides of the cross-shaped grooves 62, as well as the length of each of the rectilinear grooves 64 a, 64 b, is equal to 5 L. This allows a brick 10 to be connected at right angles to the shell by fitting two lateral projections 38, 40 into one of the sides of the cross-shaped grooves 62 or into one of the rectilinear grooves 64 a, 64 b. Furthermore, the distance between the ends of two adjacent cross-shaped grooves 62 and between the ends of two adjacent rectilinear grooves 64 a is equal to 3 L. This allows a brick 10 to be connected at right angles to the shell by fitting two side-by-side lateral projections 38, 40 astride two adjacent cross-shaped grooves 62 or two adjacent rectilinear grooves 64 a. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A toy building set comprising interconnectable bricks, said bricks each having a substantially square, flat contour, and further having: two opposite main faces, a first one of which has a substantially square hollow having at least two pins rising from a bottom of said hollow, and a second one of which has at least two seats aligned to the pins, in which the pins of another brick are insertable by a friction fit, two first side faces each having a central projection extending therefrom, two second side faces each having two lateral projections extending therefrom, between which one central projection of another brick is insertable with a friction fit.
 11. The toy building set of claim 10, comprising four of said pins arranged in square and four of said seats aligned to the pins.
 12. The toy building set of claim 10, wherein said pins and said seats have complementary square profiles.
 13. The toy building set of claim 10, wherein said second main face has a salient edge insertable with a friction fit into the square hollow of another brick.
 14. The toy building set of claim 10, wherein the shortest distance between the side faces of two adjacent pins is substantially equal to the thickness of said lateral projections and central projections, whereby said lateral projections and central projections are insertable at right angles with a friction fit between adjacent pins.
 15. The toy building set of claim 10, wherein the shortest distance between the side faces of each of the pins and the inner, peripheral surface of the square hollow is substantially equal to the thickness of said lateral projections and central projections, whereby said lateral projections and central projections are insertable at right angles with a friction fit between the pins and the peripheral inner surface of the square hollow.
 16. The toy building set of claim 10, further comprising a flat shell having a rectangular profile, to which an identical, upturned shell is connectable to contain a plurality of bricks, and having a plurality of grooves in which said lateral projections and central projections are insertable at right angles with friction fit.
 17. The toy building set of claim 16, wherein at least one of said grooves is cross-shaped.
 18. The toy building set of claim 10, wherein at least one of said grooves is rectilinear. 